mom's who have breastfed??

Question

im having my first child in January and i plan to breastfeed. how soon should i get a job? what was your experience with working and breastfeeding? should i work at all for the first year? any suggestions and advice would be helpful.

i heard that breastfeeding and bottle feeding the breast milk can make the baby not want the breast...what do you do then?

Answer 1

I hope you can avoid work for the first year(s). From my experience the time is irreplaceable, so is the falling in love with your baby. Anyways, I breastfed my children for 9 months. The problem I had was getting them to take the bottle nipple and all the air that would get trapped in the belly and hurt them because they suck in alot of air with the bottle, they don't when breastfed. The solution I found was playtex nursers. The bags cave in as the baby drinks and the baby actually gets very little air in their bellys to hurt them compared to a regular bottle. Plus they took the playtex nipple better than the countless other ones I tried to get them to take with regular bottles. My sister breastfed her 2 children, too (she did for much longer) and we both learned that you really have to monitor what you eat because it could cause gas in your babies belly, too. When you give your baby "formula" they lose a lot of natural antibiotics. I weaned mine onto formula - breast milk at about 9 months, but they didn't like the formula as much. 2 things you need to be preparred for - when the baby "latches on" for about the first week your nipples become so painfully sore. You will know exactly what I am talking about. It only last for the first few minutes of them latching on - You can do this, but it does hurt bad and does go away. DO NOT let your breast fill with milk. One of my breast turned into a huge water melon and it was very painful too! So let the milk out every few hours if the baby is not drinking alternatively. Oh yeah, one more thing...You will try to be taught to hold them like a football. It was way to awkward for me. What I learned was to lay down with them (me on my side) with my arm straight up along side my head, the baby on his side with me supporting them or pillows/blankets and then I just grew comfortable with it from there into other positions. I am proud of you breast feeding. You go!

Answer 2

sure yet I dont comprehend for the way long. She became 23 while she had my sister, 24 while she had me and 26 while she had my brother. She breastfed all and sundry. I breastfed for 4 months with my first that I had at 22. I had to pump it right into a bottle inspite of the shown fact that as a results of fact she wouldnt take it from me. i'm presently breastfeeding my infant that became born on the 20 th. Im 26 now if it concerns.

Answer 3

I went back to work when bub was 16 weeks old. Was planning to do the whole express milk thingy....but bub decided that breastmilk should only come from one source..MUM's breats. So had to put bub on formula bottles during day and morning/night feeds were still breast. Try to give bub a bottle as soon as you can (eg one per day ) so that the transition when you return to work is not so stressful and rushed.
If you have the same prob as I did....also be prepared that bub may not like certain milk formulas either. Mine refused any that were "GOLD" formulations (contain fish oils) and would only used the plain old s-26 that I had as a bub.
Good Luck, cherish every moment with your bub, cos you can never get that moment back!

Answer 4

I went back to work when my son was eight weeks old. I am a nurse practitioner, so I had the luxury of keeping a 1/2 hour block of appointments open every three hours so that I could pump breastmilk. This worked well for me. I would breastfeed in the morning before work, immediately upon arriving home and then through the night. He got bottles of breastmilk during the day. Fortunately, he was able to adapt to this.

In regards to working, only you can decide what is right for you and your baby. You need to consider finances and whether you would be happy being at home for a year.

Answer 5

I did breast feed and it has a lot of advantages for both you and bub however I didn't have to work I would imagine it would be a bit uncomfortable with your breast leaking and as soon as you see another baby they fill up instantly(breast) But a lot of mums find away around it.If you can afford to stay at home please do and enjoy every minute, it all ends too soon. Good luck to you and your baby

Answer 6

IF YOU CAN STAY OFF OF WORK FOR A YEARS THAT'S GREAT! IF NOT POSSIBLE YOU CAN BREASTFEED EVEN IF YOU WORK ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PUMP AT WORK EITHER BUY A BREAST PUMP OR RENT ONE FROM THE LACTATION LEAGUE. AFTER YOU DELIVER MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE NURSES THAT YOU WANT TO BREAST FEED SO THEY CAN GIVE YOU YOUR BABY TO FEED AND ALSO GIVE YOU PAMPHLETS ON BREAST FEEDING SOMETIMES THE HOSPITAL THEM SELVES HAVE LACTATION CONSULTANTS THAT CAN GIVE YOU HINTS ON BREAST FEEDING. DONT GIVE UP!! THE BONDING THAT YOU WILL HAVE WITH YOUR BABY IS PRICELESS . BREAST FEEDING IS A JOB ITSELF BUT IT WELL PAY OFF ITS ONLY HARD IN THE BEGINNING BECAUSE YOUR ADJUSTING TO BABIES FEEDING SCHEDULE JUST KEEP TRYING LIKE I SAID IF YOU CAN HOLD OFF ON WORKING THAT WILL BE GREAT ONLY BECAUSE HAVING YOUR BABY AND BREASTFEEDING IS THE MOST WONDERFUL THING A WOMEN CAN EXPERIENCE AND IS UN REPLACEABLE.IF YOU DO GO TO WORK MAKE SURE TO WEAR BLOUSES WITH BUTTONS SO YOU CAN PUMP EASILY ALSO WEAR BREAST PADS SO YOU WONT STAIN YOUR CLOTHES. YOU ALSO HAVE TO EAT HEALTHY DRINK LOTS OF LIQUIDS TAKE YOUR VITAMIN'S . YOU WILL SEE WHEN YOU DELIVER ALL THE INFORMATION THE HOSPITAL CAN GIVE YOU IF NOT THEY PROBABLY CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH A LACTATION CONSULTANT NUMBER MAYBE A 1800 NUMBER. GOOD LUCK! ITS THE BEST THING TO DO FOR YOUR BABY IS TO BREASTFEED. WORD OF ADVISE IF NOT POSSIBLE TO BREASTFEED THERES OTHER ALTERNATIVES AND DONT FEEL BAD USING THEM IT DOESNT MAKE YOU LESS OF A MOTHER OKAY !!!!

Answer 7

I breastfed my daughter and returned to work after she was 2 months old. At first there was swelling but after a week the swelling went away and i was able to pump her enough milk @ work to last her through the next day.

Answer 8

I have breastfed, but I didn't work. My advice is wait and see what you feel like once the baby is here, because what you think about doing now may not be what you feel like doing six months down the line.

Remember, if it hurts AT ALL, re-position baby and try again:)